Vodka Sauce

[Paul_Bacino]

I made an egg plant casserole, using Rao’s Vodka sauce!! But then I wanted to make my own. I started doing a little research and found a few different ideas in making the pink sauce.

I saw some add flour, some add heavy cream, and some add marscapone. Will the type of vodka make a different? Some add prosciutto, shallots and basil.

How do you make yours?

Oh… I served the 07 Brancaia Tre IGT… wonder wine.

[mike_pobega]

Paul, other than baking, is there many times I falter from a recipes exactness. Believe it or not, I have tried many versions of vodka sauce, but the one my family always loves it right out of the Soprano Cookbook. Really. I think it’s the proportions of cream/vodka/sauce that works well.

Penne alla Vodka
Source: Sopranos Family Cookbook written by Allen Rucker.
Serves 4 to 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 ounces of thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips
One 25-35 ounce can of Italian peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup vodka (Absolute Peppar if available)
salt
1 pound penne
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet large enough to hold the cooked pasta, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes.

Stir in prosciutto and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and cook, stirring well for 1 minute. Add the vodka and cook for 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add pasta and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the penne is al dente. Drain pasta in cold water, reserving some of the cooking water. Add pasta to the skillet with the sauce and toss the pasta until it is well coated.

Add a little of the reserved cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Add in the cheese and toss again. Serve immediately.

[alan_weinberg]

if vodka is tasteless, what’s the point?
alan

[Rick_Gregory]

Some flavor components in tomatoes are soluble only in alcohol. You can use anything, but vodka is useful when you don’t want to alter the flavors provided by the other ingredients. Wine will work, but will add acid, tannins and, of course, its own flavor. Vodka just releases the alcohol soluble flavors and adds nothing else.

[Victor_Hong]

@alan weinberg

if vodka is tasteless, what’s the point?
alan

I thought that urologists are familiar with soluble compounds.

[Berry_Crawford]

@Rick Gregory

Some flavor components in tomatoes are soluble only in alcohol. You can use anything, but vodka is useful when you don’t want to alter the flavors provided by the other ingredients. Wine will work, but will add acid, tannins and, of course, its own flavor. Vodka just releases the alcohol soluble flavors and adds nothing else.

Interesting. Thanks for that.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

I’m taking a run at some vodka sauce tonight. With all its chopped carrots and chopped bell pepper, it’s certainly not a traditional version. Also going to throw some oak-smoked bacon in there near the end of cooking, as well. I’ve had a few dried chiles sitting in the 1/2 C vodka I’ll be using for the sauce – I’m hoping it lends a nice gentle heat to the sauce.

[Paul_Bacino]

Brian,


I like the infusion Idea… Traditional or not , molto buona

Paul

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

Cheers!

[Rob_MacKay]

Lisa and I do ton’s of dishes with Vodka sauce, both red and white sauces. The type of Vodka used makes no difference…

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@Paul Bacino

Brian,


I like the infusion Idea… Traditional or not , molto buona

Paul

This ultimately worked “better” than I thought it would … I had 5 or 6 dried red chiles, which I split, soaking in approx. 2/3 - 3/4 C. of vodka for 3 hours before putting the vodka in the sauce for the last 40 minutes or so. I strained-out the chiles when I put the vodka in the sauce. It imparted a strong, yet gentle, spiciness. Next time, I’ll probably reduce the chiles to maybe 3 or 4 instead of 5 or 6. As for approx. how much sauce I made: I used 2 lb of fresh peeled Roma tomatoes and 1 14.5 oz. can of chopped tomatoes, a little less than 1 C of heavy cream, and chopped veggies mentioned above. I also roasted 4 cloves of garlic in peppered olive oil, and the put the resulting garlic paste in the sauce, as well. Without the cream this would have been a diavola sauce to be proud of.

[Mark.Ricca]

@alan weinberg

if vodka is tasteless, what’s the point?
alan

I have asked the same question, but there is a real answer.


http://www.wineberserkers.com/viewtopic.php?p=145309#p145309" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mike_pobega]

@Mark.Ricca

@alan weinberg

if vodka is tasteless, what’s the point?
alan

I have asked the same question, but there is a real answer.


http://www.wineberserkers.com/viewtopic.php?p=145309#p145309" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yeah but when done right, it tastes great.
1983, 1883, or on the return trip with Columbus in 1493, who cares?


BTW, I have a cookbook by Lorenza De’medici about all the traditional Italian dishes from centuries gone by. Some nasty stuff indeed!

[Bernard_Roth]

I make mine like Mike’s recipe, except that I add the vodka earlier, burn it off, and add the cream just at the end, before I add the pasta.

[alan_weinberg]

@Rick Gregory

Some flavor components in tomatoes are soluble only in alcohol. You can use anything, but vodka is useful when you don’t want to alter the flavors provided by the other ingredients. Wine will work, but will add acid, tannins and, of course, its own flavor. Vodka just releases the alcohol soluble flavors and adds nothing else.

ok, but doesn’t the alcohol in the vodka evaporate, returning the “flavors” to an insoluble state?
alan

[Steve_Arciero]

@alan weinberg

@Rick Gregory

Some flavor components in tomatoes are soluble only in alcohol. You can use anything, but vodka is useful when you don’t want to alter the flavors provided by the other ingredients. Wine will work, but will add acid, tannins and, of course, its own flavor. Vodka just releases the alcohol soluble flavors and adds nothing else.

ok, but doesn’t the alcohol in the vodka evaporate, returning the “flavors” to an insoluble state?
alan

God, I’m going to sound like a geek but here goes…

While SOME alcohol does evaporate not ALL of it does (unless you really reduce the heck out of it). Given the likely low absolute levels of these flavor compounds, it probably doesn’t take much alcohol to keep them soluble. In a sense (liberal license here), it’s related to why you can’t get to 100% ethanol by “simple” distillation.

It probably sounds like “trust me on this one” and it probably is.